Principles of Graphic Design

Graphic design is a creative process. It starts with an idea and develops.  Graphic designers are artists who take an idea and evolve it. It is said a picture paints a thousand words and a great graphic designer will turn a client’s ideas into a colourful portrayal of their business. In the e-commerce world, graphic design now extends from logo design to incorporate website design, whether that be small business website design or  online shop design; the internet  is the new gallery for the graphic designer.

In this article we are going to look at three specific areas of graphic design: logo design, website design and online shop (or e-commerce) design.

Consider for a moment what elements go into graphic design and how these can make or break the success of the product or company it is meant to promote.  Graphic designers have to consider the ‘elements’ of design – the lines, direction, shape, size, texture, value and colour of the design. The correct text size, the colour of the text, what background to display the images on and how everything flows together.

Next comes the composition, how those elements are drawn together in a cohesive fashion, to make sense of the core elements. The colour of the logo design could become linked to the brand it represents. The website design may incorporate elements of the logo, such as a particular pantone colour that extends to the background of the website, the text colour itself or the font.  There has to be a marrying of the elements and the composition to avoid a website becoming, well frankly, nonsensical and downright offensive to the eye!

Let’s look at logo design first.

What makes a good logo design? Think of the logos that have been designed and appear in advertising. They are subliminal messages planted in your brain that make that logo synonymous with the product. What’s the hidden element? The graphic designer behind the logo. The logo design that sticks in your memory is the winning element of any campaign. The music may fade, the actors go onto different roles, but the logo remains etched in your brain and the moment you see that logo the brand springs to mind. That’s some powerful graphic design work. It has to be simple yet stylish, eye catching; an at-a-glance summary of what the brand represents.

Now we move onto the website.

This is almost viral advertising. Get a great website designed, publish it to the web, promote it far and wide and the website itself can become part of your brand. Move over logo only recognition, your website now becomes your best promoter. If the website design is not carefully thought through - with easy to follow hyperlinks, clear information and compelling text – you have lost a large percentage of your revenue stream. This takes skill and experience.

Last but not least, the online shop or e-commerce site.

What elements do you need to design an online shop? You have to put yourself in the virtual world and imagine you are physically entering a shop. Would you be able to find what you wanted easily? Can you find the price quickly? How easy is it to buy the products and is there a secure method of paying? The graphic designer becomes the virtual shopper, testing out these elements prior to ‘opening up shop’ on the internet.

Whether you are looking for logo design, website design or online shop (e-commerce) design, whatever your graphic design needs you can always trust Alpha Studios, your local graphic design studio based in Bournemouth and Poole area.